iMENTS- CITY  OF  CHICAGO 


William  Hale  Thompson 
Mayor 


M.  J.  Faherty 

President  of  the  Board  of 
Local  Improvements 


IRENE  MANTONYA 

Chairman    Street    Openings 

and  Widenings 


OSCAR  WOLFF 

Chairman  Street  and  Alley 

Paving 


DAVID  W.  CLARK 


LEONARD  WITHALL 

Assistant    Secretary    and    Chairman 
Sewers  and  Drains 


EDWARD  J.  GLACKIN 

Secretary  and  Superintendent  of 

Special  Assessments 


Chicago,  July  30,  1921 
To  the  Hon.  Wm.  Hale  Thompson, 
Mayor  of  the  City  of  Chicago,  and 
Members  of  the  City  Council. 

Gentlemen: 

I  herewith  transmit  an  illustrated  report  of  the  most  important  activities 
of  the  Board  of  Local  Improvements  during  the  past  six  years;  also  a  brief 
outline  of  the  methods  of  procedure  in  local  improvements. 

It  is  desirable  that  all  property  owners  should  know  some  of  the  neces- 
sary and  important  proceedings  under  the  law,  in  order  to  start  and  carry 
to  completion  a  local  improvement.  The  Board  does  not  desire  to  proceed 
with  a  local  improvement  until  the  same  has  been  requested. 

A  local  improvement  may  be  started  by  the  Board  on  a  petition  or 
request  by  the  property  owners,  or  upon  an  order  from  the  City  Council,  or 
upon  a  motion  by  a  member  of  the  Board.  When  such  a  request,  petition  or 
council  order  is  received,  it  is  referred  to  an  appropriate  committee  for 
investigation,  and  if  there  is  sufficient  reason  for  it,  the  petition  is  approved 
and  the  Board  orders  an  estimate  to  be  made.  The  estimate  is  made  by  the 
engineer,  and  submitted  to  the  Board  for  approval.  This  estimate  is  based 
upon  the  prevailing  market  prices  of  material  and  labor  at  the  time  the 
estimate  is  made.  When  the  estimate  is  received  by  the  Board,  it  is 
approved,  a  date  is  set  for  public  hearing,  notices  of  which  are  sent  to  the 
owners  of  all  property  abutting  upon  the  proposed  improvement.  These 
notices  contain  a  general  description  of  the  improvement  and  the  engineer's 
estimate  of  the  cost  of  the  same.  At  the  public  hearing,  the  property  owners 
and  the  Board  discuss  the  character  and  nature  of  the  improvement,  its 
extent  and  the  cost  of  the  same.  The  opinion  of  the  property  owners  at 
the  public  hearing  is  advisory  and  the  Board  makes  the  decision.  Thereupon 
the  Board  decides  either  to  proceed  with  the  improvement  as  proposed,  to 
modify,  or  to  abandon  it.  However,  if  a  majority  of  the  property  owners 
file  a  petition  against  the  improvement  within  thirty  days  all  proceedings 
are  stayed  for  one  year. 

If  the  Board  decides  to  proceed  with  the  improvement,  an  ordinance 
describing  the  improvement  in  detail  is  sent  to  the  City  Council.  This 
ordinance  may  be  approved  or  disapproved  by  the  Council,  but  may  not  be 
modified  by  it.  If  approved,  the  attorney  of  the  Board  files  a  petition  in 
court  asking  for  authority  to  levy  the  assessment.  Thereupon  the  assess- 
ment is  spread,  apportioning  to  each  piece  of  property  its  proportionate 
share  of  the  cost  of  the  improvement,  based  upon  the  benefits  each  piece  of 
property  will  derive  from  the  making  of  the  improvement,  but  no  property 
can  be  assessed  more  than  it  will  be  benefited.  In  the  case  of  some  improve- 
ments, where  the  city  in  general  is  benefited,  a  proportionate  share  of  the 
cost  is  assessed  against  the  City  of  Chicago  as  a  public  benefit. 

The  assessment  roll  is  filed  in  court.  Notices  are  sent  to  all  owners 
of  property  assessed,  the  notices  stating  the  total  estimated  cost  of  the 
work,  the  amount  of  public  benefits,  if  any,  the  amount  assessed  against  the 
particular  piece  of  property,  and  the  time  for  filing  objections  by  the  prop- 
erty owners. 

In  some  instances  objections  are  filed  by  property  owners  who  are 
honest  in  their  belief  that  the  ordinance  providing  for  the  improvement  is 
unreasonable,  or  that  their  assessment  is  excessive;  but  the  greater  part 
of  all  objections  filed  is  due  to  direct  solicitation  of  property  owners  by 


organizations.  These  proposals  usually  offer  to  conduct  litigation  for  a 
compensation  based  upon  a  large  percentage  of  the  amount  of  the  reduction 
of  the  assessment  secured  for  the  property  owner.  This  business  is  so 
profitable  to  these  organizations  and  has  grown  to  such  an  extent  that  they 
keep  a  corps  of  trained  experts  regularly  employed  to  carry  on  their  work. 

If  the  assessment  is  equitably  spread  in  the  first  place  and  if  certain 
property  owners  by  filing  objections  succeed  in  having  their  own  assessment 
reduced,  this  causes  a  portion  of  the  cost  of  the  work  that  should  be  borne 
by  these  property  owners  to  be  borne  by  their  neighbors.  It  is  seldom  that 
additional  burden  is  placed  on  the  City  of  Chicago  because  of  these  reduc- 
tions. The  injustice  of  this  discrimination  in  reducing  assessments  on  some 
particular  property  is  accentuated  by  the  fact  that  the  property  owners, 
whose  actual  assessments  are  increased,  are  not  represented  in  court  during 
the  proceedings.  We  feel  that  few  property  owners  are  willing  to  be  a  party 
to  such  injustice  to  their  neighbors  for  the  sake  of  reducing  their  own 
assessment. 

If  the  property  owners  who  believe  that  they  are  inequitably  assessed 
will  come  into  the  office  of  the  Board  of  Local  Improvements  they  will  be 
shown  the  assessment  plat  and  the  amounts  charged  to  each  piece  of  prop- 
erty. If  the  property  owner  can  suggest  a  more  equitable  assessment  it 
will  receive  consideration.  Any  error  or  injustice  in  the  spreading  of  the 
assessment  that  is  pointed  out  will  be  corrected  without  any  expense  to  the 
property  owner. 

After  the  assessment  has  been  confirmed,  the  Board  proceeds  to  adver- 
tise for  bids  for  doing  the  work.  Bids  are  publicly  opened  and  tabulated 
and  the  contract  awarded  to  the  lowest  responsible  bidder. 

The  work  of  construction  is  done  by  the  contractor  under  the  supervision 
of  the  Board,  its  engineers  and  inspectors.  It  is  also  subject  to  the  super- 
vision of  the  property  owners,  many  of  whom  live  along  the  line  of  work. 
Complaints  from  property  owners  receive  prompt  attention  from  the  Board, 
and  if  well  founded,  the  matter  is  remedied. 

Upon  the  completion  of  the  work,  final  vouchers  for  the  remainder  due 
the  contractor  are  issued  to  him.  The  Board  files  a  final  certificate  with  the 
court,  showing  the  exact  cost  of  the  improvement  and  that  the  work  has 
been  completed  in  substantial  compliance  with  the  provisions  of  the  ordi- 
nance. At  any  time  within  thirty  days  after  this  certificate  is  filed,  any 
property  owner  assessed  has  the  right  to  file  objections  if  he  can  show  that 
the  work  has  not  been  constructed  substantially  in  compliance  with  the 
ordinance. 

The  Board  is  making  every  effort  to  promote  fair  and  honest  compe- 
tition among  the  contractors  and  tries  to  get  the  work  done  at  the  lowest 
possible  cost. 

In  condemnation  proceedings,  upon  the  filing  of  the  petition  the  court 
enters  an  order  designating  two  competent  persons  as  commissioners  to  act 
with  the  Superintendent  of  Special  Assessments,  who  shall  investigate  and 
report  to  the  court  the  just  compensation  to  be  made  to  the  respective 
owners  of  private  property,  which  will  be  taken  or  damaged  for  said  improve- 
ments and  also  what  real  estate  will  be  benefited  by  such  improvements 
and  the  amount  of  such  benefits  to  each  parcel  of  land,  neither  shall  be 
employees  of  the  petitioning  municipality  and  both  shall  be  disinterested 
persons;  such  commissioners  shall  thereupon  make  such  investigation  and 
prepare  and  file  in  court  their  report.  When  the  report  is  filed  by  the  com- 
missioners, the  City,  as  the  agency  of  the  public  for  conducting  the  pro- 


ceedings  and  making  the  improvements,  is  in  a  position  of  trust  toward  the 
owners  of  property  taken,  to  see  that  they  are  offered  just  compensation 
without  the  necessity  of  recourse  to  litigation,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  is 
under  an  obligation  to  the  taxpayers  and  assessed  persons  who  pay  this 
assessment  to  see  that  the  compensation  in  no  case  is  excessive  or  beyond 
the  bounds  of  justice.  It  is  therefore  incumbent  upon  the  City  in  each  of 
these  cases  to  organize  a  staff  of  attorneys  and  skilled  witnesses  to  contest 
the  claims  of  such  owners  as  are  not  satisfied  with  the  compensation  offered 
by  the  City,  as  well  as  to  contest  the  claims  of  the  owners  of  property  spe- 
cially assessed,  so  far  as  they  seek  a  reduction  of  their  assessments. 

The  City  is  opposed  in  court  in  these  proceedings  by  several  hundred 
groups  of  attorneys  and  experts  of  the  greatest  skill.  The  City  is  therefore 
obliged,  in  forming  its  organization,  to  secure  the  services  of  the  ablest 
men  it  can  procure.  This  necessarily  entails  great  expense,  which  has  been 
the  subject  of  much  criticism  by  those  who  have  not  analyzed  the  situation 
which  makes  such  organizations  necessary.  The  outlays  hitherto  incurred 
by  this  work  have  so  far  been  abundantly  justified  by  the  results  procured. 
In  one  branch  of  the  Michigan  Avenue  case,  relating  to  the  condemnation 
of  a  part  of  the  Kirk  Soap  factory,  the  claim  of  the  Kirk  Company  was  for 
$1,538,148.00.  After  thirteen  weeks  of  trial  before  a  jury  in  the  County 
Court,  the  verdict  was  $488,596.00.  This  was  subsequently  affirmed  by  the 
Supreme  Court.  Thus  the  City  in  this  one  case  saved  $1,049,552.00  by  the 
skill  of  its  organization  of  experts. 

In  the  same  Michigan  Avenue  improvement  a  large  tract  of  factory 
and  warehouse  property  owned  by  the  Chicago  Dock  &  Canal  Company  was 
assessed  $177,059.28  for  benefits  from  the  Michigan  Avenue  improvement. 
The  assessment  was  strenuously  contested  by  the  Dock  Company,  which 
claimed  that  there  would  be  no  benefits  whatever  to  their  property  from 
the  improvement  and  that  the  assessment  should  be  entirely  canceled.  The 
Court,  after  an  able  presentation  of  its  case  by  the  City's  counsel  and  expert 
witnesses,  sustained  the  entire  assessment,  and  this  likewise  was  affirmed 
by  the  Supreme  Court,  saving  to  the  City  in  this  case  the  full  amount  of 
the  assessment  of  $177,000.00  as  the  result  of  the  skill  of  its  experts. 

In  spite  of  attacks,  which  have  been  made  on  the  fees  of  these  experts 
as  excessive,  I  am  convinced  that  they  have  saved  the  City  many  times  the 
cost  of  their  services,  and  that  no  others  equally  good  can  be  secured  for  a 
less  amount  of  money.  As  long  as  the  City  continues  to  be  opposed  in 
these  cases  by  experts  of  outstanding  ability,  it  considers  that  duty  requires 
it  to  maintain  an  organization  which  can  win  its  cases. 

The  name  of  every  person  employed  by  the  Board  of  Local  Improve- 
ments as  an  expert  in  bond  issue  improvements  and  the  rate  of  compensation 
to  be  paid  such  persons  have,  in  every  case,  been  approved  by  the  Finance 
Committee  and  by  the  City  Council,  and  no  rates  have  been  established  or 
witnesses  employed  in  these  cases,  without  the  authorization  of  the  Finance 
Committee  and  the  Council  having  first  been  obtained. 

The  following  is  a  summary  of  the  work  done  by  this  Department  from 
1915  to  1920  inclusive: 

1,047  miles  of  Sidewalk  constructed  at  a  total  cost  of $  5,206,348.36 

692,167  lineal  feet  of  Water  Service  Pipe  installed,  at  a  total 

cost  of 613,890.16 

538,441  lineal  feet  of  Water  Supply  Pipe  installed,  at  a  total 

cost  of 943,405.40 

329  miles  of  Sewers  constructed,  42,677  Drains  built,  36,296 


Catch  Basins  constructed,  11,872  Manholes  constructed,  at 

a  total  cost  of 7,288,115.48 

666  miles  of  Street  and  Alley  Pavements  laid,  at  a  total  cost  of  32,147,900.55 

CONDEMNATION  PROCEEDINGS— STREET  WIDENINGS 
AND  OPENINGS 

12th  Street,  from  Michigan  Avenue  to  Ashland  Avenue;  Michi- 
gan Avenue,  from  East  Randolph  Street  to  East  Chicago 
Avenue;  West  Polk  Street,  from  South  State  Street  to 
South  Clark  Street;  71st  Street,  from  Stony  Island  Avenue 
to  South  Shore  Avenue;  Western  Avenue,  from  69th  Street 
to  107th  Street,  and  other  streets  and  alleys,  at  a  total 
cost  of $18,936,400.89 

CONDEMNATION  ROLL  FILED  IN  COURT  ON  THE 
FOLLOWING  STREETS: 

South  Ashland  Avenue,  from  69th  Street  to  Beverly  Avenue; 
Ogden  Avenue,  from  West  Randolph  Street  to  North  Clark 
and  Center  Streets;  North  Western  Avenue,  from  Law- 
rence Avenue  to  Howard  Street;  West  Randolph  Street, 
from  North  Sangamon  Street  to  Ogden  Avenue,  at  a  total 
cost  of $  5,715,472.00 


Total $70,851,532.84 

PROJECTED  WORK 

Ordinances  passed  for  Sidewalks,  work  not  done,  188  miles ....  $  1,786,752.00 

Work  ordered  for  Sidewalks,  ordinances  passed,  576  miles. . . .  5,474,304.00 

Water  Mains  under  contract 235,000.00 

Water  Service  Pipe  under  contract 160,000.00 

Aberdeen  Street  System  of  Sewers 4,700,000.00 

Augusta  Street  System  of  Sewers 1,133,805.00 

Crawford  Avenue  System  of  Sewers 1,012,662.00 

Broadway  System. of  Sewers. 2,000,000.00 

Under  contract,  17  miles  of  Sewers 337,900.00 

Confirmed   149,500.00 

In  Court  (not  including  Broadway  System) 406,000.00 

Estimates    made 569,200.00 

Other  Sewers  projected 500,000.00 

Street  Paving 31,000,000.00 

Alley    Paving 4,000,000.00 


Total ^ $53,465,123.00 

CHICAGO  PLAN  COMMISSION  CONDEMNATION 
PROJECTED  WORK 

South  Water  Street,  from  Michigan  Avenue  to  the  Lake 

Western  Avenue,  from  Lawrence  Avenue  to  West  31st  Street 

South  Ashland  Avenue,  from  47th  Street  to  69th  Street 

South  Ashland  Avenue,  from  West  31st  Street  to  West  47th  Street 

South  Ashland  Avenue,  from  the    south   branch   of   the   Chicago   River   to 

West  31st  Street 

North  Ashland  Avenue,  from  Devon  Avenue  to  Ridge  Avenue 
North  Ashland  Avenue,  from  Ridge  Avenue  to  Winnemac  Avenue 


North  Ashland  Avenue,  from  Winnemac  Avenue  to  Irving  Park  Boulevard 

North  Ashland  Avenue,  from  Irving  Park  Boulevard  to  West  Lake  Street 

Beverly  Avenue,  from  West  87th  Street  to  West  95th  Street 

South  Robey  Street,  from  Harrison  Street  to  Roosevelt  Road 

South  Robey  Street,  from  Roosevelt  Road  to  West  23rd  Street 

South  Robey  Street,  from  West  47th  Street  to  West  51st  Street 

South  Robey  Street,  from  West   Garfield   Boulevard   to   West   87th    Street 

Fullerton  Avenue,  from  Laramie  Avenue  to  Oak  Park  Avenue 

71st  Street,  from  Cottage  Grove  Avenue  to  Stony  Island  Avenue 

Ridge  Avenue,  from  Clark  Street  to  Peterson  Avenue 

Peterson  Avenue,  from  Clark  Street  to  Caldwell  Avenue 

West  Polk  Street,  from  Halsted  Street  to  Canal  Street 

Taylor  Street,  from  Halsted  Street  to  Canal  Street 

Jefferson  Street,  from  Harrison  Street  to  Roosevelt  Road 

Clinton   Street,  from  Harrison  Street  to  Roosevelt  Road 

Desplaines  Street,  from  Harrison  Street  to  Roosevelt  Road 

Indiana  Avenue,  from  16th  Street  to  Cottage  Grove  Avenue 

22nd  Street,  from  South  Park  Avenue  to  State  Street 

Pershing  Road,  from  Halsted  Street  to  Robey  Street 

The  Board  has  always  tried  to  co-operate  with  the  Mayor,  the  Members 
of  the  City  Council,  the  Chicago  Plan  Commission  and  the  People  of  the 
City  of  Chicago. 

Very  truly  yours, 

M.  J.  FAHERTY, 
President  of  the  Board  of  Local  Improvements. 


M.  J.  Faherty,  President  of  the  Board  of   Local   Improvements,  and  Charles 

Wacker,  Chairman  of  the  Chicago  Plan  Commission,  breaking  ground  for  the 

improvement  of  Pershing  Road,  from  Halsted  to  Robey  Street,  l'/2  miles  to  be 

opened  and  widened  to  a  width  of  108  feet. 


North  Western  Avenue  at  Madison  Street;   view   looking   south.     This   street 

to  be  widened  17  feet  on  each  side  and  when  widened  will  be  a  uniform  width 

of  100  feet.    This  improvement  when  completed  will  be  IS'/z  miles  long. 


South  Western  Avenue  at  Grenshaw  Street,  view   looking  south.     This  street 

to  be  widened  17  feet  on  each  side  and  when  widened  will  be  a  uniform  width 

of  100  feet.    This  improvement  when  completed  will  be  IS'/z  miles  long. 


Ashland  Avenue;  view  looking  south  towards  Milwaukee  Avenue.    This  street 

to  be  widened  to  a  width  of  100  feet,  17  feet  to  be  taken  off  each  side  of  the 

street  for  a  distance  of  17  miles. 


Ashland  Avenue;  view  looking  north  at  Belmont  and  Lincoln  Avenues.    This 

street  to  be  widened  to  a  width  of  100  feet,  17  feet  to  be  taken  off  each  side  of 

the  street  for  a  distance  of  17  miles. 

10 


Ogden    Avenue;    view    looking    northeast    at    Randolph    Street.      Street    to    be 
opened  to  a  width  of  108  feet. 


Ogden  Avenue;  view  looking  southwest  at  Clark  and  Center  Streets.    Street  to 
be  opened  to  a  width  of  108  feet;  distance  of  improvement  2'2  miles. 

11 


South  Robey  Street  at  Park  Avenue ;  view  looking  south.    Street  to  be  widened 
to  a  width  of  86  feet  for  a  distance  of  17  miles. 


South  Robey  Street ;  view  looking  south  at  39th  Street.    Street  when  opened  and 

widened  will  be  a  width  of  86  feet.     A  subway  or  viaduct  will  be  constructed 

from  39th  to  47th  Street. 

12 


West   12th   Street   at   Ashland   Avenue;    view    looking   east;    before  widening — 

66  feet  in  width. 


West    12th    Street   at    Ashland   Avenue ;    view   looking   east ;    after   widening — 

108  feet  in  width. 


Old  Rush  Street  Bridge.     All  that  remains  of  it  now  is  a  memory. 


New  Michigan  Avenue  Bridge.     60,000  automobiles  cross  this  bridge  every  24 
hours;    capacity    150,000. 

14 


Michigan  Avenue  Bridge;  view  looking  north  across  the  bridge. 


Michigan  Avenue,  view  looking  north  from   Randolph  Street;   width  of  street 
from  Randolph  Street  to  the  River,  127'/2  feet,  and  from  the  River  to  Chicago 

Avenue,  141  feet. 

1? 


Largest  double  deck  bascule  bridge  in  the  world;  to  construct  it  required  3,500 

tons  of   steel;   3,200  tons  of  counterweight;   500  tons  of   machinery   and   four 

100  H.  P.  motors  to  operate  this  bridge. 


If) 


Michigan  Avenue  Bridge;   east  lower  level   roadway,   looking  north;   which   is 
used  for  heavy  traffic. 


View  of  Michigan  Avenue,  south  approach  superstructure;  South  Water  Street, 
view  looking  west  from   Beaubien  Court. 

17 


18 


William  Hale  Thompson,   Mayor,   cutting  the   ribbon  barrier;    M.  J.  Faherty, 

President  of  the  Board  of  Local  Improvements ;  Eugene  Pike,  City  Comptroller ; 

Charles  Wacker,  Chairman  Chicago  Plan  Commission. 


A  large  demonstration  by  the  people  of  the  City  of  Chicago,  at  the  dedication  of 
the  Boulevard  Link.  May  14th.   192(1. 


20 


58 


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BOARD  OF  LOCAL  I MPROV 


